Saturday, 31 July 2021
Around the World with Bradley: Canada: Ice rink in back garden
Morning: I skate on the ice in the back garden. The ice rink is on top of the summer vegie garden.
On afternoon we try and add ice to ice rink. Hose is
blocked. Get another hose. Lumpy water comes out of hose. Bits of snow/ice.
Refold loose hose and place in the dungeon so that it doesn’t freeze.
Need to be temp 0 to -6 to get nice ice. For us the average winter day. Temp is -12.
Clear skies. no wind. Brisk fresh, can feel the air biting. Cold enough to add
a nice smooth layer of ice to the ice rink. The only problem is placing running
water in the right spot.
Afternoon: walk on the frozen river. View a beaver dam. Pam slips in the running water. George says it is very important she gets into dry shoes.
Hunter came
and killed 30 beavers about a year ago. Still beavers in the creek. Recovering
population.
Walk to an
A-frame barn. Site of barn dances.
I
continually ask what is the temperature. How many clothes should I wear? What
clothes are best? Need to dress completely differently outside and inside. Wore
thermals inside and felt very hot. Sticky and stuffy.
Went for a
walk outside on the farm. Still no breeze. Very fresh. Come inside and the heat
assaults me.
Walk around
the farm. Cows approach. The smell of cows.
They expect food. Their breath hangs in the air like the smell. The
smell seems incredibly strong. Cows are quiet.
Saw a
mousse. Gangly legs. Ungainly. Disappears into the woods. Feel sorry for it.
Trying to find food amongst the snow and bare trees.
George: It
can eat twigs and bark.
At night
sleep downstairs in the basement with the heater which goes on and off. A big dungeon. Pipes need to be 8 foot
underground so that they won’t freeze. Frozen pipes need to be replaced.
Wednesday, 21 July 2021
Around the World with Bradley: London Thames
Central London
Grey stone
buildings. Narrow cobblestone streets. Exterior of buildings. Bleak boring
dull. Disguises the interiors.
Few signs,
little lighting, no advertising,
Street of
grey bare trees; no flowers in flower boxes. Trees sleep without their leaves below
a grey overcast sky.
People in
thick jackets; grey, brown, dark blue or black hats. No tropical colours.
South African
shop. Black cat peanut butter; ouma
rusks; aromat; biltong; pronutra; scattering of curios and postcards. Refuge
for the homesick.
Enter a
pub. I order a coffee. The smell of smoke causes others to leave. I follow the
others before my coffee arrives.
Cagney
Restaurant. Depressingly dour. Service is so slow I never saw it so cannot
comment on it.
Catamaran Cruises
We travel
on the Thames. The boat is not a catamaran.
Thames is
wide, brown flowing rapidly under all the famous bridges.
Crew: I am
just a crew of this boat. Not a trained guide. Put your headphones on and
listen.
If you
enjoyed the commentary, please make donation in the box as you exit. It would
be greatly appreciated.
London
stretches everywhere. Bisected by the Thames. Large tides. Low tide now. Can
see the retaining wall.
National Maritime Museum
Royal
Observatory: The search for longitude. Grandfather clocks. Pendulum clocks.
Fascinating. Tick tick tick. chronometers
Jimmy grabs
a moment to smoke and tells me: Jenny fussing and panicking and thinks I’m
still smoking. What’s the big deal. I’ve gone from 60/day to 3/day.
The clocks
work beautifully. Aesthetic. Art meets science.
Lunch in Greenwich
Disgusting,
terrible traditional fish and chips.
Me: Is this
traditional fish and chips?
Jimmy: I
was just going to say something about that.
Me: So,
this is a mistake?
Jimmy: Not
the way it’s meant to be.
Rhonan
rings every half an hour to get the latest cricket score. South Africa and Sri
Lanka. SA is winning by more than needed.
Return
trip. Gets dark at 4:30 pm. Buildings come alive. Some are floodlit. Some
internally lit.
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